Chinese circus tiger attacks two children after breaking out of cage in middle of performance
Victims treated in hospital after animal escaped into crowd at village fair
A tiger at a circus in a northern Chinese village broke out of its cage and injured two members of the audience on Saturday, state media reported.
The victims, both children, have now returned home after receiving treatment at a local hospital, a publicity official from the government of Hongtong county, Shanxi province, told Thepaper.cn on Monday.
It was unclear how serious their wounds were.
The official did not give any details about how the incident had happened.
The circus had been invited to perform at a local fair for the Shengwang village.
A grainy video on the news portal showed the tiger escaping from the cage while it was surrounded by a large crowd watching it and two other animals perform under the guidance of two trainers.
The crowd then scattered in confusion.
A few members of the audience were knocked to the ground in the stampede as circus staff tried to chase after the animal.
An unnamed local policeman told the website that the tiger had been caught and locked in its cage soon after the break-out.
He said no one called the police after the attack, refusing to give further details. An investigation by the township government into the incident is under way, he said.
